Made in Korea Movie Review:

Quest. Every single person in this world is living their life in pursuit of something. It could be a quest for respect, love, dreams, aspirations, or even identity. These quests also have the potential to become wonderful films because they naturally connect with the audience. That is why it was surprising to see Ra Karthik’s Made in Korea feel so emotionally distant despite having all the right quests in place, and the tools to reach the desired destination without too many hassles. 

Shenba (Priyanka Mohan) wants to go to Korea because she has heard the tale of Sembavalam, a Tamil princess believed to have traveled there and served as a bridge between the two cultures. She believes that Korea is her promised land, and wants to go there. She also has a boyfriend, the money-loving Mani (Rishikanth, who deserves better). We are told she loves Korea, but we never feel that pulsating feeling. We never feel it when she talks about the country. We never feel it when she slurps into a bowl of ramen. We never feel it when she finally makes it to Korea. And worse… we never feel it when she finally makes peace with her life’s twists and turns in that country. In fact, if the film were titled Made in Kolkata and she finds herself in the City of Joy, it wouldn’t have made much difference. 

Director: Ra Karthik

Cast: Priyanka Mohan, Rishikanth, Park Hye-jin, Si-hun Baek

Streamer: Netflix

The fact that Korea is not explored enough is a major drawback, as many other aspects leave us with a sense of déjà vu. The arc of a naive and innocent woman with dreams in her eyes, being left to fend for herself in a foreign city, is something that Kangana Ranaut’s Queen has already done. The same film’s shadow looms large over Made in Korea when Shenba makes friends with the locals. Apart from a wonderful scene that evokes the beautiful idea that music has no language, Shenba doesn’t make friends organically. It is all too convenient, and this is the film's biggest issue. Everything is too manicured and perfect that the film fails to put the soul in Seoul. There are also glimpses of English Vinglish as Shenba, with her broken linguistic skills, tries to navigate this new world. Interestingly, there are also references to Parasite in the way the class divide is explored in Made in Korea.

While the film is essentially about Shenba’s quest for identity, this aspect is explored too late. Till then, she is just goofing around in Korea with people who have no reason to befriend her. Barring her relationship with a grandmother with a shady secret, Shenba doesn’t really make any other connection to the country, or, by extension, to us. It doesn’t help that this world is filled with people oozing saccharine goodness, and the only person who feels human is Mani, who is painted as the not-so-good person.

Also, for a film centered on food, Made in Korea commits the cardinal sin of not making these visuals enticing. The idea of this cross-cultural exchange doesn't wow us, and even the makers seem more interested in ticking that box than in making it a big hurrah. While this might not seem like a big dealbreaker, it very much is in the context of the film. But this doesn’t mean that all is not well with Made in Korea. There are scenes where its saccharine nature sings through. Say, for instance, the scene when Shenba realises the grandma’s secret, or the scene where she loses her composure against a Korean guy who assaults his girlfriend. In fact, Priyanka is quite good at bringing out Shenba's goofy side. When Shenba lets her hair down and has fun, the film finds its voice. This same voice gets drowned out in scenes that ring high on sentimentality or an overarching sense of genericity. That isn’t Priyanka or the film’s strong suit. These sections feel vacuous because the writing doesn’t do enough to make us feel invested in Shenba's life. 

In fact, Made in Korea had the ingredients to become a Disney-esque fairytale, but the film settles for far less. However, even in a Disney film where we all know good trumps evil, and all is well that ends well, there needs to be moments where things aren’t quite well. We need to throw our weight behind the protagonist and hope she finds the peace she is looking for. But the writing and performances never really convince us that she is indeed looking for peace. What does Shenba really want? If it is a life in Korea, why not show how she struggles to bridge the chasm between reality and imagination? If it is finding an identity, why not show her exploring her desires a bit more? What we are left with is a bland journey into a character that actually has it easy, but thinks otherwise. 

Being overly nice and playing it safe is not an admirable trait in a person, and it certainly cannot be a qualifier for a film. The Korean characters in Shenba’s world get a raw deal because they are supremely one-note, and all they have to be is… nice. The Indian characters in her world get a raw deal because they are also one-note, since they have to be… not-so-nice. What about Shenba, you ask? Well, Shenba wishes to be a symphony that hits all the right notes and marches ahead on her quest to find her voice in a world that isn’t as bad as she believes it is. Unfortunately,  throughout Made in Korea, all we hear is one note… and sometimes, even that one note is off-key.